1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a manicurist's bit for shaping acrylic artificial fingernails and, more specifically, to a shaping bit which shapes acrylic nails by shaving away layers of the acrylic fingernail.
2. Description of the Related Art
When applying artificial acrylic nails the acrylic material is applied to the subject's original nail in great thicknesses, generally about one-quarter (1/4) inch. Once the acrylic material has set and is firmly adhered to the natural nail it must be shaped to give the appearance of a natural nail. Most often this entails removing a significant portion of the acrylic thickness with a shaping bit.
Presently two types of shaping tools are generally used by manicurists to shape acrylic artificial nails. These are the diamond bit and the emery board.
The diamond bit comprises diamond dust particles or substantially equally hard particles disposed on the circumferential surface of a bit. In operation, this bit is given a high rotational speed and is used to grind away the surface of an acrylic nail to shape and form the nail to a desired thickness. This grinding action requires that the manicurist move the rotating bit back and forth along the surface of the nail while applying pressure. This back and forth movement of the rotating bit has two significant disadvantages: (1) an extreme temperature may be developed on the surface of the nail which radiates to the subject, thus causing a burning sensation; (2) the constant back and forth grinding typically develops acrylic dust particles which can be inhaled by the manicurist and the subject, and thus creating a significant health hazard.
Emery boards, which have the conventional emery sand-like material adhered to the surface area of a thin portion of cardboard, are rubbed vigorously across the surface of the acrylic nail to grind away excess acrylic. This vigorous rubbing, which also has the disadvantages of creating frictional heat and creating acrylic dust, is awkward to use and is often ineffective when attempting to shape the underside portion of the acrylic nail.